The public mood in Malta has taken a turn for the worse, with half of the people now saying that things are heading in the wrong direction, up from just 13% this time a year ago, a Eurobarometer survey shows.

At the time, 65% said that things were going in the right direction, the joint-highest figure in the bloc and significantly higher than the EU average of 24%. The same survey shows that the number of people saying that things are going in the right direction in Malta has plummeted to 28%.

While this brings Malta’s score in line with the EU average, it suggests that the public’s mood may have taken a drastic turn over the past year. The survey was carried out throughout the last week of September and the first two weeks of October. This coincided with Times of Malta exposing a driving licence racket, just weeks after a similar disability benefits racket was revealed.

Damningly, the survey also finds that 85% of Maltese expect their standard of living to decrease over the next year, higher than the 73% registered across Europe.

Likewise, just under half, 46%, believe that their living conditions will be worse in a year’s time. This is an increase of eight percentage points since a similar survey was held in March of this year, taking it above the EU-wide average.

There also appears to be shrinking optimism over Malta’s economy, with 53% now saying that the country’s economy will be in a worse state in a year’s time, up six percentage points since March.

Chart: Times of Malta * Source: Eurobarometer * Created with Datawrapper

Maltese more hopeful about EU than most

The survey also finds that fewer than half Maltese feel that their voice counts in Malta, with only 44% saying that this is the case, significantly lower than the 61% average across Europe and a drop of 10 percentage points since March of this year. On the other hand, the survey finds that the Maltese have a more positive outlook on the EU’s performance.

A staggering 92% say that Malta has benefitted from EU membership, significantly higher than citizens in other countries, where only 72% say this is the case.

Likewise, the Maltese are more optimistic about the EU’s future than their European counterparts, although this has also seen a sharp drop in recent months. While three-quarters of Maltese considered themselves optimistic back in March, now just under two-thirds say that this is the case.

Almost nine out of every 10 people in Malta think that the EU has some kind of impact on their daily lives, nearly 20 percentage points higher than people in the rest of Europe.

Meanwhile, almost half say that the EU contributes to Malta’s economic growth and just over a third believe that it brings new work opportunities, both significantly higher rates than their European counterparts.

On the other hand, the Maltese are far more concerned than other European citizens about the EU’s role in undermining Malta’s borders (40% compared to 24% of Europeans), putting people’s jobs in danger (33% versus 18%) and placing Malta at risk when maintaining peace and security (32% compared to just 12% in the rest of Europe).